Interestingly I made the Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ) as a 2006 “fighter.”  The article then made it as a post on the Bremerton Sun’s blog this morning.

Making the List

Also on the newsmaker list is William Marler, a Bainbridge Island resident and lawyer who has made a name for himself fighting companies over E. coli outbreaks. He’s on PSBJ’s list of “fighters.” Marler first became prominent by fighting Jack in the Box in 1993 for its E. coli outbreak. Most recently he sued Taco Bell parent company Yum! Foods after E. coli was traced to green onions used in its food.

Here is the full post from the PSBJ:

fighters (fye’-terz) n. 1 Leaders locked in struggles where the outcome isn’t yet known

Marler’s law firm takes on national E. coli cases

William Marler, a partner at Marler & Clark LLP of Seattle, first made a name for himself when he tackled the litigation involved with the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in 1993.

This year he made news by tracking the nationwide outbreak of E. coli sicknesses in connection with bagged spinach. The outbreak has been linked to 183 illnesses in 26 states.

Jack in the Box isn’t the only prominent fast-food chain Marler has taken on. On Dec. 11, Marler’s firm filed its second lawsuit in the Taco Bell E. coli outbreak in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

I posted on www.ecoliblog.com this morning about another New York E. coli victim taking on Taco Bell
The filing coincides with Taco Bell’s announcement that Taco Bell President Greg Creed and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell will tour the Taco Bell restaurant located at Franklin Mills Circle in Philadelphia at 1:00 p.m. ET today.  As I said in a statement:

“While Taco Bell is parading around with politicians, the victims of this outbreak continue to incur costs related to their illnesses.”

“The least a multi-million dollar corporation like Taco Bell can do is make a good will gesture and pay my clients’ medical expenses.”

“Corporate responsibility means stepping up to the plate and saying you’re sorry when you’ve done something wrong – like poison your customers – and then putting forth an effort to make things right.”